Today one of my closest friends tells me that she is leaving the country. I am devastated, naturally. It’s the best decision for her husband, and their three sons, to move back to Toronto, Canada, that she and I have discussed at length, over glasses of wine, during the course of the last year. Covid was the tipping point, accentuating the need for them to be near aged, lonely parents. When she breaks the news, over a zoom chat, I burst into tears. “I am so happy for you, it’s going to be a great start for the boys” I blubber, sounding and looking ridiculous, as I attempt to say something positive. It’s a sensible decision for her, but it sucks for me, and I can’t help but think selfishly. “What about me? I need you!” So I cry like a jerk, who should have been a better friend, with a better response.
To cheer myself up, I bake and spend some quality time with another close girl friend – my daughter.
“Are we bakers?!” asks A,” We spend so much time baking muffins and cookies and brownies, I think we might actually be bakers.”
“ I think we are alchemists” I say.
She gives me that look, that is commonly dished out these days – the one that says ‘mum’s gone mad.’
I then explain the magic behind baking to her, and why – in my opinion – it is so much better than regular cooking. When one bakes, one takes basic raw ingredients such as eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and sometimes, fruit or chocolate, and turns these simple ingredients into an end product entirely different from its origins. That’s magic.
“What cocaine have you been taking today?” Asks A as she cuts the powdered sugar into a line, with a knife, on the chopping board, just to get my attention.
“I have not taken any cocaine. Ever. I have never in my lifetime taken any hard drugs.” I firmly add.
“No need for a life lesson” says A.
At sunset we attend a sunrise birthday zoom chat. About 18 people attend, from Kelowna, Miami, and Cayman, with various cocktails, beer and cheese boards. I haven’t socialized in a group this big since January, it’s fun I almost forget we are still in quarantine. After about an hour, D claims ‘zoom fatigue’ and starts to prep dinner in the background. I look at the raw ingredients around me: complete family, laughing friends, lazy animals, tropical garden, good food, moody sunset, and the alchemy here makes for a blessed illusion.
